The Life and Death of Vavasor Powell, Title page – Preface
THE Life and Death OF Mr. VAVASOR POWELL, THAT Faithful Miniſter and Confeſſor of JESUS CHRIST.
Wherein his Eminent Converſion, Laborious, Succeſsful Miniſtry, Excellent Converſation, Confeſſion of Faith, Worthy Sayings, Choice Experiences, Various Sufferings, and other Remarkable Paſſages, in his Life, and at his Death, are faithfully Recorded for Publick benefit.
WITH Some ELOGIES and EPITAPHS by His FRIENDS.
Heb. 11.4. Who being dead yet ſpeaketh.
11.38. Of whom the World was not worthy.
Rev. 14.13. Bleſſed are the dead, which dye in the Lord, they reſt from their Labours, and their Works follow them.
Printed in the Year MDCLXXI.
An Advertiſement to the Reader.
MR. Powel, a little before his death ſpent much time, and pains, in the compoſing a new Concordance to the Holy Bible, with the chief Acceptations of the principal words in the Old and New Teſtament, having alſo added marks to diſtinguiſh the Commands, Promiſes, and Threatnings. The ſame is now Printed for publick good, and to be had bound up with the Bible in 8to. or in 12o. at Booksellers Shops in London, &c. Alſo bound alone, at 2 s. in 12o. and 2 s. 6 d. in 8to. being more uſefull than any extant of like volume.
THE PREFACE.
THe holy Spirit tells us, that whilſt the wicked are to periſh as their own dung their names rot, and memories blotted out, and cut off from the Earth. That the memory of the Juſt is to be bleſſed, to be had in everlaſting remembrance, and as an eternal excelleny, they are to be the joy of many Generations.
And therefore is it that the Pen men of the Scripture have been ſo careful to tranſmit to poſterity, ſo faithful an account of the Worthies of former Generations, to instruct others (no doubt in like manner) to Record, and Preſerve the memories of Worthy men in after Generations.
And ſurely not without ſpecial deſign of ſingular uſe, and advantage when we conſider,
Firſt, how much it tends to vindicate and preſerve the precious ſavour of their names, who for righteouſneſs ſake have been vilified, and reproached, caſt out as evil, and eſteemed as Dung, and off ſcouring. And,
Secondly, How much God is like to be glorified on their behalf, for puttting ſo much Heavenly Treaſure in Earthen Veſſels, and ſo fully magnifying his grace in them, and by them.
Thirdly, (and eſpecially) by the holding forth thoſ Virtues, Graces, and Excellencies, that ſhined in them, they may though dead, yet be ſpeaking, and ſo become living Monuments, Patterns, Examples, and Preachers, to them that come after them. So that their Faith, Love, Patience, Humility, Zeal, Courage, Wiſdom, Temperance, may provoke, inſtruct, and comfort many: Their Temptations Tribulations, patient Sufferings, and Experiences, help, and ſtrengthen more.
And of admirable uſe to the Church (no doubt) in all ages have been the Books of Martyrs, and Lives of the Eminent Saints, and Confeſſors, that have done, and ſuffered worthily in their dayes: Men for the moſt part being apter to be Governed by Example than by Precept.
And therefore are thoſe frequent, and ſpecial Exhortations, Heb. 6.9. Be ye followers of them, who through faith and patience, have inherited Promiſes. Jam. 5.10. Take my Brethren the Prophets, who have ſpoken to you in the name of the Lord, for an Example of ſuffering affliction, and of patience. Heb. 13.7. Remember them which had the rule over you, whoſe faith follow, conſidering the end of their converſation. Prov. 2.20. That thou mayeſt walk in the wayes of good men, and keep the paths of the Righteous. Cant. 1.8. Go thy way forth by the footſteps of the Flock. Pſal. 37.37. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace. Heb. 12.1. Wherefore ſeeing we are alſo compaſſed about with ſo great a Cloud of Witneſſes (viz. the Catalogue of Eminent Saints, Martyrs, & Confeſſors in the former Chapter) let us lay aſide (after their Example) every weight, and the ſin which doth ſo eaſily beſet, and let us run with patience, the race ſet before us, looking as eſpecially unto Jeſus. Heb. 12.2. So alſo to Abraham our Father. Eſ. 51.1. That we may walk in his Steps. Rom. 4.12. The good Kings in Iſrael took David for their Pattern, and therefore are ſaid to do right as did David their Father, walking in his way: The evil Kings were ſaid not to walk with him, but taking Jeroboam for their Example to follow his ſteps.
Fourthly, A faithful record of the worth and excellency of good men, is of excellent uſe to help forward the conviction, or agravate and further the condemnation of malicious Perſecutors; who may thereby better underſtand who they are they have gone forth against, what Perſons of honour, worth, and renown, and how like the Children of Kings, Judg. 8.18. And that the reaſon of their ſo lifting up hand and heel againſt them, is no other than theirs of old mentioned, 1 Joh. 3.12. Joh. 5.16. Joh. 15.18, 19, 21. Joh. 16.2, 3. & 8.44. 1 Cor. 2.8. Joh. 7.7. Pſal. 35.7.
And to be informed therefore, of that undoubted wrath and vengeance that will certainly overtake all ſuch, who not only imbrue their hands in the innocent blood of the Righteous in their day (which cries for vengeance againſt them) but become guilty alſo, of all the blood that from the beginning of the World, upon like account, and in like ſpirit hath been ſhed, as Mat. 23.34, 35. And that what evil, in word, or deed, hath been done to any of the Saints, upon the account of Righteouſneſs, is reckoned as done to the very perſon of Chriſt, Mat. 25.31, &c.
Fifthly, That Gods diſpleaſure, and voyce of his Rod, to the Generation where ſuch stroaks are, may be the better felt, heard, and layed to heart, where ſuch perſons of worth and excellency are ſnatcht away, ſuch Angels, Ambaſſadours, Fathers recalled ſuch ſhining Stars, burning Lights, ſavoury Salt taken away, ſuch Chariots and Horſemen of Iſrael removed, foretelling greater judgements alſo neer at hand, and loudly calling for due ſearch after the cauſe, Jer. 2.20. as well as a true repentance, and ſpeedy reformation for the ſame.
And ſo is the preſerved Memory of the Juſt bleſſed, to the glory of God, to preſent and future Generations, to Saints and Sinners, good and bad, here and hereafter, in this World, and that which is to come.
In which bleſſed Service, is this deſigned undertaking, to be adding another Link to the Chain of Worthies, another Witneſs, to the Cloud of Witneſſes: by endeavouring hereby to recommend, and preſerve, his precious Memory, who by the account yet obtained of him, you will perceive hath attained ſo good a degree, done ſo worthily in Ephra…a, and famouſly in Bethlehem, and certainly obtained a name, if not with the three, yet among the thirty of our Davids Worthies.
Which may be more obvious when you conſider what is faithfully ſaid of him.
Firſt, In his eminent Converſion, who was taken in his Enmity and prophaneſs, led gradually through legal darkneſs, terrours, and bonds to Goſpel light, love, and liberty.
Secondly, In his ſignal temptations, and tribulations, inward, and outward, by Sin, World, Satan, and the gracious ſupports under all.
Thirdly, In his Narraritical dedication to the Miniſtry, wherein his dexterous and eminent skill, unwearied activity, ſingular faithfulneſs, and admirable ſucceſs, appeared beyond many.
Fourthly, In the perils, hazards, jeopardies, perſecutions, impriſonments that he underwent for the Goſpel, inſomuch, that (it is conceived) it may be as truly ſaid of him, as any ſince the primitive days, what was ſaid of the Apoſtle Paul, 2 Cor. 6.4, &c. 11.26, &c.
You have ſome account of him, not only in his heart-walk, but in his Houſe Church, and Generation walk alſo.
Firſt, You have ſome diſcovery of his heart-walk, out of ſome part of his Diary, wherein you find his vigilant, vigorous, and ſteady watch, not only to improve the motions of the ſpirit, but to withſtand the motions of ſin and Satan: his cloſe and hard perſuit after God, by all ways & means to keep the heart clean, and the life holy, to keep up grace in the act, & godlineſs in the power thereof, obſerving daily his ſpiritual experiences both in his gettings, & loſings.
Secondly, You have ſome account alſo of him in his family-walk (which ſo much be ſpeaks the Chriſtian) wherein you find him as a man of knowledge, filling up every Relation in the fear of God, managing his affairs with diſcretion, doing not only the things that were juſt and equal, but ſingular alſo. Deſigning with Joſhua, that he, and his houſe might ſerve the Lord, which he cared for in the firſt place, witneſſing therein a ſingular love and regard to all the ſouls under his roof. A ſtrict and zealous obſerver of the Sabbath, a great lover of Hoſpitality, adminiſtring with liberal heart and hand to all, eſpecially to the houſehold of Faith, inſomuch that the bleſſing of him that was ready to periſh came upon him, cauſing the widows heart to ſing for joy, eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, a father to the poor, and the cauſe he knew not, he ſearched out, Job 29.30, 31. and ſo diviſing liberal things, by liberal things he ſtood.
Thirdly, You have ſome thing of him alſo in his Church-walk, wherein he approved himſelf a workman that needed not to be aſhamed, rightly dividing the word, to every one a portion, giving bread in due ſeaſon; taking heed to himſelf, and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghoſt had made him an Overſeer, to feed the Church of God, which he purchaſed with his own blood, taking the overſight thereof, not by conſtraint but willingly, not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind. And having the word of God dwelling richly with him in all wiſdom, did teach, and admoniſh, in Pſalms, Hymns, and ſpiritual Songs. A true lover, and an affectionate promoter of peace and holineſs, a zealous, and impartial withſtander of ſin, errour, and prophaneſs. One that had dexterous skill to get into the hearts of ſinners. And one to whom the Lord had given the tongue of the Learned, that knew how to ſpeak a word in due ſeaſon, to him that was weary, very compaſſionate, and tender hearted, full of true ſympothy, and fellow feeling under all weakneſſes, and temptations, that attended any being experimentally able to adminiſter conſolation by the comfort wherewith he himſelf (under many tryals) had been ſupported, and comforted by the Lord.
Fourthly, You have ſome account alſo how he behaved himſelf in his Generation-Walk, wherein you will find he witneſſed in a publick ſpirit much ſincere love to his Country, great faithfulneſs, courage, and activity to the Cauſe and Intereſt of Chriſt, as it was stated for him againſt Antichrist, and ſo covenanted for, & pleaded in his day. And in the aſſerting and managing thereof (it may be ſaid of him that) he bore in his Body the marks of our Lord Jeſus, and to which he was faithful from firſt to laſt, even to death. And not with ſo many that appeared ſo zealouſly, curſing Merozat firſt for not helping the Lord againſt the mighty, and ſoon after fell in with the mighty against the Lord: Nor with ſo many Princes, Elders, and Father's (contrary to former Covenants and Ingagements) who made a Captain to go back again into Aegypt, to the building again the things that they had pulled down, and pulling down the things they had built. But did in that day of tryal, you'll find, as zealouſly, and impartially, withſtand his Friends for Hypocriſy, and Apoſtacy, as others, for Prophaneſs and Superſtition, foretelling, and lamenting ſuch ſteps, as the certain foundation of ruine, and confuſion.
Neither did …e ſee cauſe, as an evil doer, in reproach to Chriſt, and his cauſe pleaded by him, to beg and give thanks for pardon, for ſerving of him. Nor to deny, forſake, and forſwear his Maſter, and Crucified Cauſe, but with courage and faithfulneſs, you'll find him …earing of, and rejoycing under the Croſs, owning and confeſsing him, as well at Gibbet, and in the Supulchre, as when the Hoſannahs were ſung to him. And ſo keeping the word of his patience, ſerving his Generation according to the will of God, he fell aſleep, dying in the aſſured Faith, and Hope of the Reſurrection of that Cauſe that he had ſo done, and ſuffered for; ſo lived, and dyed in.
It is true, under all the Worth and Excellency ſpoken of, you'll find him alſo, a man of like paſsions with his Brethren, and not without his infirmities, having all this Heavenly Treaſure in an Earthen Veſſel, and being a Son of Adam, as well as a man of God, that he might not be eſteemed of more than was meet, and that Chriſt alone might have the preheminency, to be the great Example, and to be imitated in all things, the beſt of men being no otherwiſe to be followed, than as they follow Chriſt, becauſe, as ſaith the Apoſtle, in many things we offend all. The natural infirmity that he much groaned under, and complained of, was, paſsion and raſhneſs, and which he would, when overtaken with, make haſte out of, and with due acknowledgements for his evil therein, return ſpeedily to a ſweet frame and temper again.
It remains, that ſince the pleaſure of the Lord is thus manifeſted in the removing ſuch a Father, with many other ſuch like eminent ones a late from us; that the due improvement of ſuch ſad providences be endeavoured according to the ends before hinted; whereby our holy Powels, excellent Bridges, worthy Blakes, faithful Woods, may yet, though dead, live, and preach to us; and may be a means to help forward the cry of doubling the ſpirit of the Elias's that are taken away, upon the Eliſha's remaining.